


Ermordung

by Azz1an



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Anger, Assassination Attempt(s), Background Relationships, Betrayal, Codenames, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fake Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Hurt Caleb Widogast, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Marriage, Married Couple, Military, Mollymauk Tealeaf Lives, Other, Physical Abuse, Reunions, Slow To Update, Soldiers, Torture, Trent Ikithon Being an Asshole, War, War Era, Warning: Trent Ikithon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-03-09 23:09:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18926881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azz1an/pseuds/Azz1an
Summary: The alleyway was dark, the rain drenching Caleb to the bone. His body shook, but he didn't care as all he could do was stare at the man before him. The purple tiefling looked at him with such fear that made his heart twist. This couldn't be... How was this possible?"Well," Mollymauk snapped. "Are you going to finish me off?"Slowly, Caleb advanced towards him. Reaching his hand out and touching his cheek with such gentle care, afraid that this was just all a dream. He gave out a small gasp when he felt his gloved fingers touching Molly's cheek.Caleb could feel the tears forming in his eyes.His husband, whom Caleb thought he had killed, was back from the grave.





	1. Prologue

* * *

* * *

* * *

_The cell that Caleb stayed in was cold. No light came through except for a small flickering dull lightbulb from down the hallway, occasionally peaking some light on the other cell across from him. There was nothing but a small bucket for the prisoners to shit in each cage, which already didn't help with the foul smell of death that makes the room feel sick._

_Everything was going so well. They successfully infiltrated a hide out from the Soltryce's and had taken over the fort. Molly was about to receive information and report back to the generals saying that the mission was accomplished until the overwhelming amount of backup shot down most of their team. Only 3 of them, including Molly and Caleb, survived by being taken in as prisoners of war._

_It's been a few weeks since that happened. During the time Caleb watched his fellow comrades get picked off every once a week. Soltryce solders would come down and choose a prisoner to use for experimentation or get information. He had seen how his friends would come back to the cells dead or insane. They would mutter words to themselves in a corner rocking back and forth if they've survived. The bodies of the people who didn't were left to rot in the dark corner of the cells until the smell gets too revolting for the Soltryce soldiers._

_Caleb whimpered as his stomach groaned and ached out of having nothing put a small crumb piece that he has found of the floor. He curled his arms around his stomach, curling himself into a ball, hoping that it would someway make him feel better. His back was against the cell where he was away from the other prisoners, whom were other insane, dead or sick. Those people were the farthest away from the cell bars, moaned or cried out of pain and hunger. Some of them were even desperate to eat each other's clothes, it was a miracle that they haven't moved on to the fresh bodies yet._

_"Love," A voice came from the other side of another cell jolted Caleb out of his thoughts, they sounded worried. "Caleb are you still with me?"_

_Caleb craned his neck to the side a little to look at the cell across from his. He longed for the comfort of his husband right now, especially when he was directly across from him. This itself felt like torture since they were so close and yet could never touch. "Ja, of course Molly."_

_His heart ached when he heard Molly give out a sigh of relief. "You went quiet on me for a second there dear, I was worried."_

_Every once in a while they would check on each other. Ask about questions, asking what time, to keep each other sane. It had soon became a lifeline for Caleb's sanity. "Sorry, just...lost myself in thought."_

_"Is it your hunger?"_

_Caleb nodded, the sound of his stomach only confirmed his pain by giving a low groan._

_He could see the silhouette of his lover grabbing the cell bar, his knuckles growing tense. "Just...hang on, they should be bringing in food this week. Wait a little longer."_

_"Molly," Caleb's voice was quiet, he didn't need to speak out loud for the place was silent despite the small sounds of fear and pain in the background. "Did they already chosen to pick one of us this week?"_

_"..No."_

_The space around then turned sour, as if everyone has heard them as well, which was a high possibility. A man Molly's cell shamelessly wept, the sound echoing through the walls and everyone around them. Caleb felt himself tense, his eyes dart to the door frantically for any signs of someone opening the door like an animal waiting to be unleashed. The door was shown dimly under the dull flickering lantern handing over at the end of the hall. He waited for a few minutes, nothing happened._

_"Caleb, look at me."_

_He turned his attention to the only person who mattered to him. It didn't matter if they were going to die tomorrow, or the whole place was going to explode. The feeling of his chest longed for the warmth and touch of Molly's gentle hugs and soft skin. Caleb missed how his words were smooth like silk and calm when feeling afraid or stressed. It was a security blanket catching him when he feels like falling. He knew that they were most likely never going to be rescued and were on their own, but for a moment he only wanted the comfort of his husband and promise that they'll be alright in the end._

_He reaches his hand out of the cell, stretching until he couldn't anymore, reaching out for his lovers hand._

_Bless Molly, tries to do the same, only managing to hook his ring finger to Caleb's. He was determined to not loose his grip, and Caleb felt content with that._

_"I promise you," Molly's ring finger around Caleb's tightened out of reassurance and want for the same thing. "That I will not let them take you away from me. I will do everything in my power to make sure they don't hurt you, I love you too much."_

_"Ich liebe dich auch, Schatz."_

_Despite everything, Molly smiled. It was small but reminded Caleb how the light of his life was still flickering, still there in the midst of the darkness surrounding him. The light was too important to be extinguished, it made Caleb feel wanted and loved, giving him hope._

_With a squeeze of reassurance from Molly's finger, his grasp slowly faded away. Pulling back from Caleb's as his heart throbbed in longing to be comforted again._

_"Mein Herz." Molly replied, kissing his ring finger where his ring was drawn perfectly into his skin. The words not perfectly pronounced right but still managed to make Calebs chest flutter, managing a small smile on his lips as he kissed his own tattooed ring as well. Molly has never failed to make Caleb smile._

_The feeling of happiness was quickly swept away when the sound of the door unlocking echoed through the cellar. Everything now grew tense while everyone held in their breath. The prisoners moved back farther against the wall, whimpering as if they wanted to faze through it._

_Caleb looking back at Molly, his eyes frantic again, feeling the fear of an animal in a slaughter house. Molly looked at him in return, his expression grim. Caleb understood to what he was trying to do, reassuring him that he was safe. ' **Don't worry, I'll protect you**.' _

_The sound of the door creeping opened with the addition to the rusted nails on a chalkboard echoed through the air, causing a sound of silence. Footsteps echoed behind shortly after, coming closer to the cells that they were in._

_He felt his body tense, Caleb held in his breath from both the pressure and tension in his muscles. The others behind him whispered hastily as two shadows in a shape of men appeared in front of the cells from the hall, Caleb could see Molly tense as well at the sight of it._

_Sounds of laughter made by the soldiers after a few sounds of whispering made Caleb's skin crawl, he had to suppress a shiver. He huddled himself closer, forming into a tight ball and avoiding their gaze as he watched the clean military boots walk towards them._

_"Alright you slobs." The man sighed, pulling out keys from his pocket. Walking towards Molly's side to open the food slot. "It's feeding time, celebrate cause this is going to be the most you'll ever have in a while."_

_Caleb looked up to see the other soldier behind him holding two trays of food, containing the minimum amounts of basic necessities for a school lunch. His mouth watered at the sight of it, placed on the trays was a sandwich, small carton of milk, and a apple._

_Something surged within Caleb as he grabbed the cell bars, his eyes never leaving the tray of food. He licked his lips, an animal waiting for its meal, his shoulders tensed when he heard the sounds of the other prisoners behind him growl at each other or whimper out of plea or joy at the divine sight. Something roared inside of him for a minute, a primal feeling filling his stomach up with a instinct that he had never felt before._

_Caleb felt like a bucket of ice cold water of fear draped over him at the realization of the urge to tear someone's throat out to just have a bite out of the forbidden food. He tucked his body more closer to the corner, ducking his head into his chest and putting his arms around him. Avoiding the gaze in fear of becoming a slave and animal of hunger like some of the prisoners already had._

_When the guard opened the door, a wave of savages flooded to the opened slot. Sounds of scratching, biting, and tearing up skin filled the chamber as Caleb watched in horror. He prayed that his husband wasn't hurt as arms try to reach out through the opening of the small slot to slide the food it._

_"Behave!" The guard barked, stepping down hard on one of the beats arm that was crawling out of the slot. The prisoner shrieked in pain, the sounds of bones crushing as they pulled back their arm. Holding close as they limp away back into their own corner of he cell, weeping tears._

_The other guard hastily shoved the food in the cell, cursing at the sight before him. Watching the beasts gorged and fight over the small slice of a sandwich. They snarled and bite at each other, their violent instincts taking over as they fight too the death, food long forgotten._

_Caleb frantically searched around for the silhouette of Mollymauk. Cursing at himself for not having dark vision until seeing a purple lavender hand grabbing a cell bar across from him._

_"Molly," Caleb sighed in relief, the sounds of screaming violence muffling his words. "Are you okay?"_

_"Hey," Molly grinned, holding up the Apple, which had many scratch and bite marks on it. "I got some, those fuckers did put up a fight though."_

_Caleb frowned, wanting to check if they're any injuries on him. "Are you hurt?"_

_Molly happily took a bite out of the apple, it made Caleb's stomach lurch in pain. "Just some bruises and scratches from trying to receive the Apple, I've had worse." He looked at Caleb in an urgent matter, lips forming back into a frown. Caleb wished that he could see Molly smile again instead._

_"Dear, when the it opens I need you to -as fast as you can- try to grab something, okay?"_

_The fear of becoming one of them was worse than starving to death. "I.. I cant-"_

_"Yes, you can." Molly said in a almost pleading way. "Please, Caleb you need to eat something, and-"_

_"QUIET!"_

_Both Molly and Caleb flinched at the sound of one of the soldiers gun hitting against the cell bar in front of Molly's face. He snarled in response, his tail whipping menacingly behind him before looking back at Caleb with every ounce of begging that he can send through a look._

_They both watched as the guard closes the food slot on Molly's side. The soldier then went towards Caleb side to do the same thing. Unlike Molly's side, these prisoner's were hesitant, flinching and moving back at the slightest sound as the slot opened and the food was slid in. For a few minutes, no one moved. It was like a time bomb to see which one would advance towards the tray first, even the guards seem to stay and watch, waiting for something happen._

_It wasn't until Caleb slowly reached his arm out when someone gave out a shriek and tackled him to the ground._

_"CALEB!"_

_Caleb tried to defined himself, hearing the sound of his lover's cry gave him enough strength to push the prisoner off of him. He quickly crawls towards the tray, his mouth watering at the thought of tasting the sandwich until another body tackles him a few feet away from the food. The other person snarled at him, their hands quickly gripping for his throat. " **Mine**!" _

_The prisoner manages to cling onto him neck while straddling him. He frantically waved his arms around, clawing at the persons hands for an attempt to escape. He tried to pry the dirty nails out from digging into his neck but only choked out a sound when the fingers squeezed tighter. Caleb was now kicking and wheezing for air, dark spots start to dance around in his sight._

_"Caleb!" Molly cried out, feeling a surge of panic, the grip on the cell bars tightened until his fingers turned a light pale purple shade. He shook the bars, hoping it would distract the prisoner. "LET HIM GO!" He snarled, using vicious mockery on the fucker._

_By the gods, Molly almost started to cry out in joy when he felt the spell taking hold. The prisoner stopped for a second, fear blinding him just long enough to loosen his grip, for Caleb to punch them in the face before kicking the prisoner in the stomach to escape the deadly grip._

_The small pride and victory filled in Molly's chest until the sound of a cell door opening. He turned his head towards the sound to see one of the guards grabbing him roughly by the shoulders, kicking his shin to make him crumple down to the ground with a painful grunt._

_"I think we've found our winner."_

_Mollymauk was shoved outside of the cell, The food was now long and forgotten when Caleb realised what was going on. He frantically stood up and rushed towards Molly. His arms reaching out towards him as Molly almost stumbled  onto the floor. The sudden realization of what's happening hit Caleb square in the chest, unable to hear anything but his own heartbeat in his head, he reaches his arms out to hold him. "Molly!"_

_Molly quickly stumbled into Caleb's embrace, his arms wrapping around his waist for an attempt to hug him, even with the bars in the way._

_After many weeks Caleb could finally see his husbands face again. He was now more hollow on the cheekbones with a few scratches and a ugly bruise forming on the side of his cheek. Still, at that moment Caleb thought Molly looked beautiful. He can feel his arms instinctively wrapping around Molly's neck like it was the last time he was ever going to see him again. Desperate for him to stay, he leaned his forehead against the cold rusty bars. "No no no no, please" He whimpered, not caring how ridiculous or weak he sounded. His grip on Molly's tattered clothes tightened while his hands trembled. "Please Licht, don't go."_

_"Get back!" One of the guards snapped, slamming his gun near Molly's head as the other one grabs Molly and yanks him out of Caleb's grasp._

_Molly snarled, his tail slashing wildly back and forth as he struggles against the soldiers grip. "Let go of me!" He turns back towards Caleb, his red eyes gleaming back at him, lingering for a moment to memorize his face for the last time._

_The other officer grabbed Molly's other arm, and started to drag him out. He could hear Caleb screaming and begging for them to take him instead. Molly mentally pleaded that they wouldn't consider Caleb's offer when they walked past the other cells. The sound of Caleb being in distress and tears makes Molly's heart wrench and weight heavy as they drag him closer to the door. He thought about the good times they had before all of this, thinking about how they meet and remembering the feeling of his breath being taken away by his love's eyes._

_Molly's heart throbbed in pain, he hasn't even said goodbye._

_Normally, goodbyes aren't really Molly's thing. He's is normally the one avoiding them as much as he could, but right now he sees no way out. He wants to feel Caleb's lips for one last time, run his hands through his soft auburn hair, to look at the sky through Caleb's eyes, to feel his world in his hands before disappearing into the unknown darkness that was waiting for him._

_'Fuck it' Molly thought, 'I'm already going to go to hell anyways.'_

_With a swift motion, he elbowed one of the soldiers in the stomach. The man bent over in pain for a second, giving Molly the chance to swiftly cut himself with one of his nails._

_The other guard, realising what he was doing, tried to stop him before he cried out in pain. Both of the soldiers now had blood stained tears running down their eyes, they both yelled out in scream and fear as they try to wipe it away._

_Quickly, Molly rushed back to Caleb. He saw the look of confusion in Caleb's tear stained eyes as he stuck his hands through the bar to hold his face. Luckily, instead of flinching away Caleb welcomed it by placing his shaking hand over Molly's own. "Caleb, I just want to tell you... "His trailed off, not knowing what to say. Gods, what can he say? There were so many things that Molly wanted to tell Caleb, to tell him how much he loves him, to tell him that the first two years of his life with him was the greatest thing that has ever happened? Molly wanted to scream in frustration, there were so many things that needed to be said but cant. Time was not on his side, and it was that moment that it dawned on him that he didn't wanted to leave Caleb's side, it was too soon, not yet._

_Instead of finishing his sentence, Molly kisses Caleb's forehead, closing his eyes and lingering on the feeling of how warm Caleb's skin felt against his lips. His heart twisted, Molly could hear Caleb trying to hold back the tears. "I will come back for you." He pulls away from Caleb, but only enough to look deep into his blue watering crystallize eyes. "I promise, even the gods can't stop me from finding my way to you." He quickly ran his fingers through Caleb's hands, realising that his hand was trembling as Caleb tilted his head towards the touch._

_"Go" Caleb muttered, looking at him with tears running down his face before grabbing Molly's hand with the tattooed ring, pressing his lips against it. Molly instinctively whipped the tears away with his thumb, which only caused more tears to run down Caleb's face. "Go, now when you have the chance."_

_Molly's breath hitched in his throat, the idea of leaving Caleb behind in the hands of the enemy made him feel sick. "I.."_

_"Go!" Caleb pushed his hands away, stepping back so Molly can't reach him, trying to control his body from trembling too much. "I'll be okay..I promise."_

_Molly stood there, reality crashing in on what he was about to do. He can feel the tears starting to swell up in his eyes. "I love you...so much."_

_"Ja," Caleb sniffed, wiping his tears away. He gave a small smile. "I know."_

_The soldiers were now almost done cleaning up the blood from their eyes. Molly looked at Caleb one last time before darting towards the door, busting it opened before rushing down the hallway. It wasn't long before Caleb could hear the sounds of a siren and the shouts of soldiers chasing Molly._

_Sounds of gun shots bounce throughout the walls and Caleb silently prayed to whatever God was out there to keep Molly safe. He looked back to where the food tray was, it was empty, his stomach gave a upsetting twist._

_Caleb grimaced at the pain that erupted in his stomach, a pain that he never felt before until now. He slowly slid back down against the wall, his nails digging into his stomach and clawing to distract himself from the pain. A small groan came out of his lips when he wraps his arms tightly around himself._

_With the hunger and emotional stress taken over Caleb's body, the feeling of sleep quickly drapes over him. His eyelids start to slowly drop down, his breathing going slow and soft as he leaned his head against the cell bar._

_The last thing Caleb saw was the half eaten apple on the floor in the other cellar before darkness took over._

 


	2. Gefangen

"Have you ever wished that you can change your past mistakes? " 

Yasha turns to look at Molly, her expression softens as she sees Molly fiddling with the Moonweaver's symbol around his neck. "Yes, I have. Why?"

Molly takes a deep breath, "Just wondering." His warm breath turns into a small cloud as the cold air sweeps in. "You know, it's strange. It feels like we've been fighting for years."

She huffs, a small smile creeping upon her lips. "Well, it has been 3 years."

 Molly pulls his knees close to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself like a secretary blanket. "Certainly feels like forever..." He rubs his ring finger, a small frown upon his lips. 

Another harsh of cold wind brushes past the two individuals. The winter night sky finally taking over the small town that they were staying for the night, a full moon shone brightly over them as they sit on the roof of the tavern, their feet dangling from the edge, 20 feet off of the ground. 

During the 2 years of their friendship, Yasha has noticed that Molly becomes more subdued as the days get colder. His smile becomes brighter when people are around, but his eyes still hold his bleak expression behind the mask. It was only the beginning of their first few months of being together when Yasha truly noticed his afflictions. They were still hiding from the Soltryce Military or Trent Ikithon to be specific. It was around the same time where winter was upon them. Yasha has assumed it was the cold, knowing that tieflings run better in warm temperatures. She found out that wasn't the case, it was when she passed by his room in the bunker to find him lying drunk at his desk, talking to himself. 

_

_"Molly?" Yasha called out, hanging by the doorway, concerned to see Molly mumbling to himself. "Are you alright?"_

_She sees him sitting on the wooden chair, which was almost falling apart at the slightest moment as he leans his head back to see Yasha at the doorway. He giggles with drunken delight. "oh, goodie! Wonderful timing dear!" His body staggers when he tried to stand up, he uses the chair for balance but tumbles to the ground anyways._

_"Molly!" Yasha rushes towards her best friends drunken state, she helps him back up. Her iron grip helps him regain balance, though his legs still wobbled from just standing. "Molly, why are you drunk?" She looks down at the spilled whisky on the floor, wondering how much Molly actually drank. "You know that we have to meet up with Beau soon."_

_"Oh, fuck that!" He snapped, pushing himself away from Yasha, trying to stand on his own two feet. Tears started to form into his eyes, he ferociously tries to blink them away._

_Yasha wasn't offended by Molly pushing away. Instead she was stunned by the tears running down his face, the purple tiefling was trying to blink them away. Seeing Molly being drunk wasn't the first rodeo for her, she was used to be seeing him acting very emotional while intoxicated. This was normal for him to have outbursts about random things, but this was different. She can see the despair and anger in his eyes, his tail swinging behind him with such whiplash. He looked exhausted, heavy bags wore under his eyes, His expression grim as if he saw death himself. "Why should we care anyways?" Molly's words slurred, he leaned against the wall, sliding down until he sits on the floor. His gaze looking towards anything that wasn't Yasha. "How long has this war been going on? almost 2 years?" He laughed, it held no emotion. "Will it ever end, Yasha?" Still avoiding her gaze, his eyes trailed onto the abandoned whiskey bottle that he has spilt on the floor. "Or will we end up killing each other until there's nothing left?"_

_"Molly…" Yasha sighs, not knowing the best approach to that answer when she doesn't even know herself. "War takes a long time." She sees Molly crawling towards his unfinished whiskey, she picks up the empty bottle before he could reach it. "I'm not even sure if anyone knows when this war will end, but what I do know," She kneels down in front of him, and places a hand on his shoulder. "Is that we have the power to stop this, that's why we're doing this, right?"_

_"Yeah…right." He muttered, his gaze still vacant as he stares at the bottle in Yasha's hand. "Is there anymore whiskey in the bottle?"_

_She looks at him with scorn. "No Molly, you're not getting another drink." Yasha picks him up, he flounders around in her arms with a flimsy protest. Molly muttered something under his breath, She assumed that it was the whiskey talking. His body reeked of alcohol, his hair was a rat nest, his clothes tattered with stains that even Yasha doesn't want to know what it was. "Come on," She gently leads him towards the bed, settling him down. "I'll go and meet up with Beau, you stay here and get some rest."_

_Yasha goes to tuck Molly under the blankets until he grabs her wrist, surprisingly strong for a man in his drunken state. "Please," There was fear that swept into his voice. "Please don't go, I.." His throat clogs up with emotion, tears start to blur his vision. He looks up towards Yasha, begging for her to stay. "I can't lose you too…" He buries his head against her stomach, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into a tight embrace, afraid to let go._

_She stood there for a minute, stunned by how much Molly's frame shook underneath her. "Of course Molly." She returns the warm embrace, feeling the tieflings tears soaking up her shirt. Yasha felt confused at the moment, wondering why Molly was acting like this. She has left the Hideout before without Mollymauk's knowledge, it would sometimes last for days and even weeks before she returned. Sure, there were sometimes where Molly would be worried, but not this bad. "I don't understand, why are worried about losing me? I always come back." Her voice was soft with no judgement, like a mother's warm embrace Mollymauk quickly melted into her as Yasha petted his hair. He mutters a couple of words into her stomach, which she couldn't understand a word of what he was saying. "What was that?"_

_Molly pulls away far enough to speak more clearly, though it didn't help much with his words slurring. "I lost him…I don't want to lose you too."_

_Yasha raises an eyebrow at the statement, more lost than understanding at the moment, she still doesn't know w_ _hat he was saying. ".. Him?" A little bit of curiosity crept in her voice, as far as Yasha knows Molly has never told her about his past yet. "Whose him?" She felt something turn in her gut, as if she was looking into something that she wasn't supposed to know._

_The tiefling nodded, the tears that he had tried to desperately keep at bay was now flowing freely down his face. "Caleb…" His voice cracked at the name, filled with love and sorrow. A strange feeling twisted Yasha's gut, it reminded of her own grief for her wife Zuala…_

_'Oh' She thought, her eyes widening at the realization, it wasn't hard to know when someone has lost a loved one. "_ _Oh, Molly…" Her heart squeezed out of loss and sympathy, she hugs Molly a bit tighter. "Molly...I'm so sorry…" She feels him bury himself deeper into her chest, giving out a deep sob. Yasha rubs his back in a circular motion, muttering words to try smoothing him into comfort._

_"I know you might not remember this, but...we'll talk about this later when you're sober." Yasha takes in a big sigh, trying to detach Molly from her body as she pulls him back under the covers. "You need to go to sleep, you are in no condition to talk about this."_

_Molly words slurred with sleep and whiskey, his eyes barely opened as he rested his head against the raggedy old pillows. Once Yasha tucked him in she places a kiss on his forehead. "I'll return soon."_

_

"You miss him." It wasn't a question, Yasha looks at the ring that is tattooed onto his skin. It has faded slightly over the years, but it was still recognizable. 

Molly shivers in the night, hugging himself tighter from the cold. His tail wraps itself securely around his leg. "Is it that obvious?" He tries to smile, but ends up turning into a grimace. "How did you do you it Yasha?"

"What do you mean?" Yasha sheds off her winter coat and places on Molly's shoulders, he gives her a smile of gratitude. He wraps the coat tighter around himself, enjoying the sudden warmth of the thick fur. Molly leans into Yashas aide, resting his head on her shoulder, careful to avoid poking her with his horns. "I thought I would've moved on by now…" 

Yasha stays silent, placing a hand on his knee for support, waiting for him to continue. "Its been… it's been years since he died and.." He paused, his mouth tasted bitter, his tongue felt like dirt and ash. "I don't know…I just thought I would be alright now… it's.. It's silly." Molly's tail wraps around Yashas wrist, tightening for support. He gives out a broken sigh. "It would've been our anniversary now." Tears water his eyes but they don't fall, the old feeling of pain still clenches onto his chest. "2 years, can you believe it? After all this time you would assume that this will be easier to handle, but-" 

"-It isn't?" Yasha looks down at Molly with a soft smile, understanding the feeling that he was going through. Her heart squeezed with condolences, she leaned her head on top of Mollymauk for comfort. 

"Yeah…" 

"Hm." She looks down at the tattoo ring on his finger, it was peeking out behind her furry coat but she can see how well crafted and detailed the ring was. It glittered in the sunlight, Small colorful flowers scatter around it, black inked vines twine around his finger, forming around the initials of their names. "Well…I probably should be the last person to give you advice." Molly gave out a light chuckle. "But.. I.. I'm not sure." A small frown formed on Yashas lips. "There are some days where I miss Zuala, others are…easier to cope."

She hears the tiefling giving out a small dissatisfied hum. "It's getting better though, even though it's been years, I'm copping better."

"But how?" Molly's voice went into a whisper, allowing himself to be vulnerable for a minute. "How do you move on? I..I want to, because he would've wanted me to, but..i'm afraid of forgetting what we had." He waits for Yashas reaction, she continues to stay silent. "He doesn't deserve to be forgotten, he didn't deserve the ending he got." He burrows himself deeper into the heavy coat, his fist clenching around the cost as he feels a surge of anger towards the people who made Caleb feel anguish during his last few moments. "He deserved _better_."

"Molly."

He looks up and watches Yasha gently pressing her forehead into his. Her hand gently combs through his hair to comfort him, his body slowly melts into it. "You loved him dearly, yes?"

Molly nods, "With all my heart." 

She gives him a reassuring smile, "Then you have nothing to worry about. You may end up falling in love with someone else later down the line, maybe even start a family." She places her other hand on Molly's chest. "But he'll always be with you, in your heart. He would want you to move on and live a life of happiness for him." 

He gives a teary smile, placing a hand over hers. "Do you think he'll be proud of me...Of _us_ , of what we're doing?"

Yasha paused, not knowing what to say, so she returns a small smile. "I would like to think he is." 

Molly chuckles, before blinking away the tears that have formed in his eyes. "Yeah, me too." 

They stay like that in silence for a few more minutes, enjoying each others comfort and embrace. The moon shines high above the clouds, giving the small town a beautiful moonlight glow. Snow drifts down lazily from the sky, slowly covering the buildings and replacing the gravel road into a white street. 

It wasn't long before the barbarian could feel the purple tiefling shiver under her from the cold, even with her winter fur coat on. She smiles, wrapping an arm around her beloved friend. "You're going to catch a cold, we should head inside." 

"That sounds like a lovely idea." Molly shivered, earning a small chuckle from Yasha. He stands up, wrapping himself in the jacket like a burrito to block out the cold. "Shall we-" He paused, as if someone Interrupted him in a conversation. Yasha watched as his face goes into a blank stare before his expression turns into horror and then anger. " _Where?_ "

Yasha quickly becomes alert, her shoulders tensing as she scanned their surroundings. She was considering that maybe standing out in the open on a high building wasn't such a great idea. "Molly, we should go, now." She reaches out to grab Molly's hand but he pulls away. 

"Jester sent me a message." His was tense, but not from the cold. He looks up towards the sky, the moon was starting to disappear behind a wall of clouds. "They're being ambushed." 

She froze, her blood running cold. "Where and Who?" 

"What do you think?" Molly starts walking back towards the trap door, Yasha quick behind his heels. "Trent's personal mercenaries that have been trying to target me for months, they're attacking a base up north from here, it's not far." He starts shrugging the coat off from his shoulders. 

"Should I get the horses ready then?"

"Yeah, meet me down when your ready. Be careful." He hands her back the coat before going back down. 

"It's not me that you need to worry about Molly." There was a warning in her tone, but Molly knew well enough that it was supposed to be playful. 

"I know!" 

He rushes back town towards his room, brushing past a couple of travelers along the hallway. The message that Jester sent sounded urgent, she didn't even finish replying to Mollymauk's question, It was as if someone had cut her off her connection. 

Gods, Molly hoped that she was alright. 

Whatever was going on at Westwing, Molly prayed to any god out there that they'll all still be alive by the time they arrive. 

He barged into the room, the candles have been blown out, leaving him stranded in the dark. Luckily, that didn't bothered him much since he had dark vision. He starts to quickly pack up anything they own in a record time. They normally travel around light so it wasn't long before he collected all of their stuff.

Molly gives out a frustrated sigh, looking around for his swords, he could've sworn that he had placed them against the nightstand the night before. 

He looks under the bed, mumbling curses under his breath before his body freezes in realization, the rest of his thoughts finally catching up to him. 

How did the candles burn out? 

The door is nowhere near the candles so it wouldn't have made them blow out and as far as Molly knows, Yasha hasn't returned to the room since lunch, which was around the time where the sun shines its brightest through the windows. He knows well enough that the windows are closed shut, he is very picky about keeping the windows shut with the curtains over them during the winter time. There was only one thing that would make sense, his fingers twitched with presentiment at the thought of it. 

Someone else was here before them, or rather is in here with him. 

He catches himself before he could give out a sound of his breath quickly cutting short. His heart was pounding through his ears as he collects himself, trying to find the next best course of action. Molly takes his advantage of looking under the bed to see if he spots anything around the room that looks peculiar. He can only see the legs of the chair and the desk pressed against the wall slightly on the right next to the window. Glancing at the other end of the room stands a huge wooden dresser, from the point of view that he was at he couldn't see any sign of disturbances on the bottom dressers. 

Holding back a curse, he bites the bottom of his lip when he sees nothing out of the ordinary. He stands back up, tasting his own blood on his tongue from biting too hard. His muscles tense, veins popping out of his skin, his body full of adrenaline. For a minute the animal inside of him claws in the back of his throat, his instincts screaming at him to fight or flight, almost making him feel cornered or contained in a small space. 

He was a rat to whoever was watching him, he could feel their presence in the room. It breaths down the back of his neck like an ominous shadow, something that's waiting for him to make a mistake. 

An eerie sound of a door squeak catches Molly's attention. Turning towards the sound, it appears to be coming from the closet. It's stands against the wall, looking too perilous to make it feel uninviting. 

He heads towards the closet, with every step he makes the floor lets out a small cry from the floorboards. His body tenses with every step, walking on thin ice he carefully creeps up towards the dresser on the left side of the room. He takes another look at the dresser, with the light gone the dark oak wooden furniture looked older than it seemed, it's vintage design weaves around the crown of the dresser with roses and vines. It towers over the room with a shadow, it's darkness looms over the room as Mollymauk steps into it. 

His figures curl around the handles of the dresser, preparing himself for the worst. He could feel his heart beating through his ears from the deathly silence that surrounds him. His grip tightens on the handles, his jaw tense before ripping the doors wide open. 

He goes for the attack, letting out a hiss before standing over the empty space in confusion. The only thing that was hidden behind the hangers was a long thick rope. The grip loosens on the door handle as he reaches out towards the material. It was long and old, the thread holding it together was torn and weathered. 

' _That's strange…_ ' Molly thought, the rope felt heavy under his hold. ' _Why is there a rope_ -'

The floorboards creak behind him. 

Before Molly could have any chance to react, the rope around him slithers around his neck with rapid speed. It tightens around his throat like a snake, he lets out a gasp that is suddenly cut off as the rope constructs his airway. He stumbles backwards blindly into the desk, clawing at the rope. It squeezed tighter with each struggle, Molly's vision sways and blurs with motion every turn he makes. At the corner of his eye he sees someone walking towards him, a silver gleam catches his eye from the attackers hand. 

In a swift movement he ducks below before the silver dagger swings at his chest. He had to get his vision back for a minute before kicking the shins of the attacker. The body crumpled down in front of him with a shout, the rope around his neck loosens enough to allow a bit more air to flow his lungs. He wheezes, crawling on his knees in an attempt to place some distance from the attacker. 

His heart was beating wildly through his chest, for a second he wondered if this what prey felt like when struggling to escape from the jaws of death as it surrounds his vision. Fear gripped his chest like a lifeline, his brain screaming at him for oxygen as he tries again to gasp out some air. Every breath that he tries to take burns his throat like sandpaper. Desperate for an attempt to escape, his fingers claw viciously at his throat, his legs kicking sporadically on the floor in an attempt to keep a distance away from the predator. 

Each step was more agonizing than the last, his arms shook like a newborn fawn, his lungs burn, feeling empty and bare. He only makes it a few feet before collapsing on the floor, not having anymore energy to movie. 

He wasn't sure what has happened after that. All he knew was that the darkness was taking over him. He could feel his heart getting weaker by the second, his brain fogged by the lack of air.

Out of what little vision he had left, he can spot the assassin finally coming out of the shadows. All of what Molly could think was the black hood that they wore. He wasn't sure when he stopped kicking or when his whole world became dark. 

The last thing he heard was a muffled cry, he wasn't sure if it was from him or not. Blinded by the darkness, his grip on the rope loosens as the pressure of the rope takes him whole. 

 


	3. Freunde

Molly hasn't felt this way in a _very_ long time. 

At first, it was calming, feeling your body drifting in an endless void as if death were giving you a warm embrace. The warmth spreads throughout his entire body, for the first time in months he felt content, happy, free. Any stress or burdens that Molly worn on his shoulders were gone, it was as if they weren't there in the first place, he was at peace. 

Then it became too calming. 

His mind felt _too_ quiet, his body felt weightless, as if he can't find a way to breathe. The calm darkness that surrounds him now spurs into a pit of nothing. It crushes him back into a small space of his mind, where he can't do anything but try to scream. He feels the heat quickly die out, the emptiness burying him with a crushing weight on his lungs.

For a moment, it takes him back to a time where he doesn't know who he is. It reminds him of the taste of dirt and ash when he tries to open his mouth to call out for help. He can remember the bodies that he had to swim through when he was buried beneath the ditches and bombs, he can still hear the sounds of screaming fire in the distance. 

He can still remember what it was like to feel _empty_. 

His mind goes into a spiral as he desperately tries to breathe again. Grasping at anything that felt like it was in the void with him, desperately trying to get rid of the Invisible pressure that was wrapped around his throat.

Then, by some miracle, he feels the sudden warmth again, but this time it was different. It felt like an old friend, someone who Molly knew. The warmth radiates throughout his body, he feels the burning sensation of his neck subside until he could barely feel any pain. His ribs and lungs slowly rebuild from the crushing pressure, the airway in his throat becoming breathable again. 

This magic feels familiar, he tries to scramble up memories of what the feeling reminds him before it hits him square in the chest.

 _Jester_.

“Molly!”

He wakes up with a rugged gasp, his throat burning from breathing in the cold fresh air too quickly. His body still in a vertigo state, he feels a warm hand firmly holding his. He can hear someone whispering words of reassurance and affection in his mother tongue as something cool and wet settles on his forehead.

“ _Shhh_ , You’re alright now, everything is okay.” Molly shifts his head slightly towards the feeling of someone's hands gently combing through his hair. At the moment, hope spurred in his chest thinking that it was Caleb. His poor vision only allowing him to see a blur of blue motion from where the person is sitting. The hand continues to groom towards the base of Mollys horns, making his body feel like putty. “Get some rest Molly, you’re safe now.” 

Molly could’ve sworn he saw a figure in a green hooded cloak as well before the darkness submerges him back into a deep slumber. 

 

_**\- - - - - - - - - - - - -** _

 

He wakes up again, feeling cold and restless. 

The cold air sweeps into his lungs, almost leaving him breathless as he takes another deep gulp of air. He tries to push himself up from the bed and winces as he leans against the rusted metal bed frame. His muscles felt sore and ached with every movement he made. 

"Easy now soldier, don't want you to get hurt more than you already are." 

His attention immediately turns to the right, seeing a green half-orc sitting in a chair across from the bed. "Fjord." Molly gives out a sigh of relief, he can feel himself relax again. "It's nice to see you too."

Mollymauk switches his attention to the area around him. He doesn't recognize the white blank rotting walls or the old worn out wooden floors with an uneven nightstand and dresser that's almost covered in dead vines in the corner. "Where are we?" 

"In a small cabin just a few miles away from Hupperdook." Fjord stands up from the small wooden chair, stretching and yawning while popping out his back. Molly wondered if he ended up falling asleep and was woken up by him. "Yasha thought it would've been safer to keep you here. I’ll fetch the girls for ya. Jester and Beau have been worried about you." 

" _Aww_ , Beau is worried for me?" Molly teases, his tail swishing under the sheets. He knows well enough that she would do anything to keep him safe, even if they don't see eye to eye all the time. At the end of the day, they both know they have each others back. "I always knew Beauregard was the soft one."

"Better not tell her that." Fjord chuckles, limping towards the door. Molly frowns at the sight of it, he assumes Fjord had gotten that injury from the attack Jester messaged him about. From what he could see, Fjords leg was wrapped in an old blooded cloth. “You alright?” 

“Huh?” Fjord eyes trail down to where Molly was staring. “Ah,” He shifts in place, awkwardly leaning his body on his left side. “Yeah, some fucker just stabbed me in the leg, nothing too serious, Jester said she'll heal it once she regains some of her spells.” He opens the door, halfway stepping out before leaning back in. “Oh, and just...try not to disappear when we come back, Jester wants to you rest until she knows you'll be alright.” 

Molly gives in a sigh, crossing his arms. He wanted to do many things at the moment rather than staying in bed. There were many things that he still needed to do, especially with the short amount of time they have. "Fine.” 

Fjord raises an eyebrow at the agreement. He knows well enough that Mollymauk Tealeaf doesn’t like to stay in one spot for long. “Really?”

“Yup.” Molly leans further back against the rusted metal bed frame, getting himself comfortable for his friends arrival. “Doctor’s orders.” 

“Right…" He sounds highly doubtful. "So you won't secretly walk out of the room and give Jester a heart attack when we return?” 

“What kind of person do you think I am?”

Fjord blankly stares at him. “Do you _really_ want me to answer that..?” 

“Fair enough.” Mollymauk leans his head back against wall, closing his eyes. “Go on then!” He inhales deeply, letting himself dwell on the feeling of air sweeping through his lungs. He makes a hand gesture towards the door. “Don’t want to keep the little blue sapphire waiting.” 

Even without opening his eyes, Molly could tell that Fjords presence was still there, staring at him. Most likely trying to spot any indication of his bullshit, which Molly can't really blame him for doing so. It takes a while before Fjord gives up. Molly hears him breathing out a tired sigh, the door gently closes a few seconds after. 

He lays there for a few minutes, soaking up the silence and the cold temperature in the room. Happy to be able to breathe the cold air without someone trying to choke it out of you. Molly starts humming a song, the one that his old radio would used to play every morning during the summer. Tired of the depressing grey clouds and the cold snow, he starts to imagine sitting on a bright green grassy patch in a field, the warm wind brushing through his hair.  

Molly's tail swishes back and forth along the side of the bed, swaying to the tune of his voice. For the first time in weeks he felt relaxed, finally -just maybe- he can catch a minute break. He reaches towards his chest to grab the small locket around his neck. 

The humming slows when he doesn't feel the warmth of the metal chain. Everything seems to fade in the background when he pauses the song. He opens his eyes to realize that it wasn’t there anymore. 

Mollymauk’s heart abruptly stops beating. 

Of course... _of course he spoke too soon_. He tries to laugh, only a nervous chuckle comes out. His stomach churns with an awful feeling crawling on his skin as he clings onto his loose clothing. He sits up abruptly, his eyes wide like a deer in headlights. Bare without his usual attire, he starts to feel naked without the heavy weight of his coat draped upon him. He tugs on the white loose shirt, expecting the necklace to magically appear. His skin feels clammy and his fingers start to shake. He swallows, trying to hold himself together while his mind quickly falls apart. 

 _No no no no…_ His breathing picks up, the air around him starts to become heavy. He rummages around the bed, fanatically throwing everything on the floor. It has to be here somewhere, it must be. 

Mollymauk didn’t have many things, mostly because he doesn’t care for most things. He isn't like some people, who carry purses full of unnecessary trinkets just for show. A bit of coin is always nice, but at the end of the day, it’s just an item for him to use and forget. He could give a rats ass for all he cares, but this was different. It was the only thing he had left of _him_. 

_The sting of smoke licks up the back of Mollymauk’s shirt. Ash chokes his tongue as he crawls out under the rubble of their once lovely home. His hands burned and charcoaled by recognition, the locket in his hand burns from the heat surrounding him. It was a blessing when he manages to feel the cold snow on his fingertips._

_He crawls a few more feet before laying in the snow from exhaustion. His throat burns as he starts coughing up the leftover smoke, the pendant in his hands tighten as he allows the snow to cool the flames that were once all over his body._

_The snow continues to fall as he lays there in the white field._

_A hurricane of emotions swirl inside of Mollymauk when he sits up to see his home burning down to the ground. Powerless to do anything, he watches the memories fade as the ash rises into the night. His face blanks from any emotion, the non existent tears that drowns his sorrow quickly turned into a fiery pit of fury._

_He squeezes the silver locket until his knuckles turned white_. 

“ _Mollymauk_?”

He blinks, the sound of his name shaking him back to the present. Molly turns to see his lovely short blue friend standing in front of him with a worried gaze. Beau and Fjord stand behind her, both having the same expression. Molly quickly reverts back to his usual self, giving out a smile to hide his inner panic. "Jester!" He sits up to pull her into a hug. "It's so nice to see you again!" 

"You too Molly." She happily accepts his embrace, Molly pulls the other tiefling down to sit on the bed with him. His tail finds the way to intertwine with Jester's, giving it a friendly squeeze. It helps his inner turmoil subside for a moment. Her abnormal cold skin distracts him from the small panic attack slowly emerging inside of him. "I was so worried that we were too late! I'll have to thank the Traveler later for watching over you."

"Yeah man, you really gave us quite a scare." Molly looks up to see Beau standing right next to him on his other side, crossing her arms. "We thought you died for a second there, so..don't do that again or I'll have to beat you up."

"I always knew you had a soft spot," Molly loosens his embrace from Jester but only far enough to turn around with a smirk on his lips. "I'd give that a C+ for trying, but I make no promises."

This earns a light punch on his shoulders, which still hurts despite Beau trying to go soft on it. "Fuck you, Molly." She had a playful smile on her face, there was no venom in her words. "I was trying to not act like an asshole for once."

"And you weren't!" Molly can already feel a bruise forming on his shoulder, but that doesn't stop him from smiling. "...For the most part." 

 She gives him another punch, this time slightly harder. He gives out a dramatic whine as he rubs his newly tendered shoulder. "Is this how you normally treat the injured?"

"Only to the ones that are obnoxious."

"Wow, rude."

"That reminds me, " Fjord muttered, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Jester, would you mind helping me fetch Molly’s surprise?"

Her eyes widen, a smile on her face grows as her tail unwinds from Mollymauk. He stops his tail from twitching as his smile slightly flatters when the comfort of a distraction goes away. " _Oh_! Yeah, of course! Don’t worry Molly.” She stands up from her spot, practically vibrating from where she stood. Molly tries to not flinch when Jester places a hand on his shoulder, gleaming with delight. “You’re going to _love_ it! We’ll be right back.” In a streak of blue she quickly rushes out of the room, the door left wide opened. 

Molly watches Fjord giving a look at Beau before limping out the door again, slowly follow Jester a few moments later, closing the door behind him. The room is silent now without their blue friend jumping all over the walls. They both quickly fall into an awkward silence, waiting for their friends to return. 

“So uh…” Beau speaks up after a few minutes of unbearable silence. Molly hopes that she doesn’t notice his hands twitching as he slowly curls them into fists. “You okay? You looked pretty rough when we walked in on you…” 

“Ah,” Right, the whole reason why he feels like crumbling into dust. Molly can feel his stomach twist and turn into a knot. If he were to be completely honest at the moment, he was surprised that he hasn't hysterically spiraled down into panic yet. He holds his smile as his grip on the bed sheets tighten. “Im fine, just...just a bit startled, that's all. Nothing to be worried about.” 

“ _Uh-huh_.” The look on Beau’s face tells Mollymauk that she doesn’t believe in shit. “Is that why you’re tail is doing that thing whenever something shitty is happening?” She points down at his tail, which was lashing through the sheets as if he was trying to flick water off at the end of his tail. 

He instantly clamps onto it, forcing his tail to stop moving so vigorously. “That doesn’t always mean i'm freaking out.”

“God dammit Molly, i'm trying to help you out here.” Beau hissed, causing Molly to flinch again at the harsh words. He knows she doesn’t mean to sound harsh at the moment but his mind isn’t in a good place right now. Adding to Beauregards aggression and tendency to punch things rather than opening up first, it really doesn't help his anxiety. “You always do this man! I mean, I know I'm the last person to talk to you about this, but that's why we have our friends! We help each other out when we have shit like this.”

She kneels down in front of the bed, trying to get his eye level. “Look. This is new for me too, and the fact that i'm the one trying to make you feel alright rather than you with someone else is really weird.“ Molly lets out a small chuckle at that. “So let's just...try and not do anymore of this bullshit, okay? Like...new slate and everything so we all can help each other out and be all ‘ _sunshines and rainbows_ ’ or whatever Jester puts it as.” 

“Always expect Jester to make your day feel better.” Mollymauk could only look at Beau for a few seconds before looking at the point of her nose, eye-contact was starting to become overwhelming for him. “Was she the one who made you check and see if I was alright?” 

“Actually, it was Fjord but we’re getting off topic.” Beau huffs out in annoyance. “Besides, I wouldn’t need to ask you if you were alright cause I know you’re not okay. I want to know what's bothering you so I can find a way to help you, it's sad to see you all droopy and stuff. That's my job.”

He chuckles again, but this time it cracks. The gate that he has been trying to hide is slowly breaking, giving into the raw emotions that rattle in his chest. “I don’t think a simple fix can help this one, but I admire that you want to try.” 

“Fuck you man, you’re not even giving us a chance!” Molly had to commemorate Beau for trying her best not to punch him in the face at this point, despite the glare burning through him. “You-” Beau pauses herself for a moment to breathe again, trying to make sure her anger doesn’t get the best of her abilities and make the situation even worse. She speaks again, this time trying her best to sound calm as possible. “I know you don’t want to share your burdens because you’re afraid, gods know that I am,” Beau muttered, which earns a look of sympathy from Mollymauk. “Just...don’t try to act like you’re tough or think that you can carry almost everyone's problems, even I can’t do that shit, I how hard it is to try and open up to someone. This might sound sappy, but whatever, it really does help when you have someone there. Jester made me spill out one time, it felt awkward but it was...nice.” Molly was a bit taken aback to see a small smile form on her lips which quickly disappears into her usual grumpy look. “Anyways, we’re alone now, so you can talk to me about anything if you want at the moment. I promise I won't tell anyone unless you’re ready to tell them, I'm not that kind of asshole. Even if you want to tell someone else other than me, I'm alright with that. Just make sure you do, like Yasha or Jester. We care for you Molly, we’re not going to leave you stranded out in the middle of nowhere.” 

Molly takes in a few minutes for Beau’s words to sink in, to think about what he wanted to say. A part of him wanted to tell everyone about everything to the group. The other part of him wanted to be quite, the past was in the past, nothing can change it. He takes a deep breath through his nose. His tail curls around his feet as he brings his legs close to his chest. “I lost something.” 

“Oh?” Beau’s head perks up at Mollymauk’s confession. She didn’t expect that he would out right tell her. It was a miracle that she hasn’t fucked anything up this far into the conversation yet. At this point she was talking out of her ass, she didn’t know what else to say.“...Do you uh..want to talk about it?” Emotions were still a hard thing to control, she was still getting used to open up rather than lash out of brute force or anger. Fjord didn’t teach her how to handle this yet.  

 “It's complicated…” He fiddles with his ring finger. Beau tries not to comment on the tattoo as she pulls herself up to sit next to Molly on the bed. She would be lying if she said that she wasn’t curious about the bands origins. In the beginning Beauregard would’ve always tried to collect information about Molly’s past as much as possible, it was basically her job to gather information on things. Since he is the only one they didn't know much shit about, other than knowing something along the lines of Yasha saving him after being captured, he was a perfect suspect to poke and pry around. 

The one thing that Beau didn’t expect, with his personality and all, was the fact on how reserved he was on his past. He would always end up changing the subject or snap at her to be quiet every time she gets a glimpse through the curtains. She gave up, after one incident a few months ago, but that didn’t stop her theorizing about his past. One night, when the girls had to spend the night in a hotel, Jester told her that she had a theory of him having a secret affair with someone and wanted to keep them private. Beau laughed at the thought of it, it was hard to imagine _him_ , Mollymauk Tealeaf, settling down with a person. For as long as she knew him, she has never seen Molly actually try to settle down for once. The longest relationship that Beau has ever seen him in was with some half-elven male for about 2 weeks during a trip.

“It can’t be _that_ complicated.” Beau scoffs, lightly nudging her shoulder against Molly’s. “We’re in the middle of a war with the government coming after us for rebelling, I'm sure that I can deal with-” 

“I had a husband once.” Molly muttered, his tone small and quiet. He hopes for a moment that Beauregard didn’t catch his words but when he glances over and sees her shocked expression, he knew that she heard him crystal clear. “He gave me a locket, before…” He takes a deep breath, reminding himself that it;s like ripping off a bandaid. ”Before I was captured and taken hostage, I lost it.” 

They both fall into silence after that. 

“ _Oh_.” Were the only words Beauregard could manage to spill out of her lips. It takes a few moments before she could speak again. “I-”

_WHAM_

Both of them are startled when they hear the sound of the door bursting open. Jesters stands at the door frame, practically bouncing up and down from where she stood. Behind her a taller figure looms over her, it seems to be larger than Fjord's silhouette. 

“We're back! And we brought someone that you might like to see!” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This will be updated less frequently while I'm working on Secret Killer :)


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